Katy Ranaldo — seen here scoring during her sophomore campaign — has racked up 118 goals in three years with the Rice Memorial High School girls lacrosse team. / Free Press file

Written by

Lauren Read

Free Press Staff Writer

Rice's Katy Ranaldo's shot is blocked by BFA-St. Albans' Cora Hartman in the Division 2 Vermont State High School Girl's Lacrosse Championships at Castleton State College on Friday, June 8, 2012. For more pictures from the game, go to www.burlingtonfreepress.com. / GLENN RUSSELL, Free Press

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SOUTH BURLINGTON — Last season, the Rice Memorial High School girls lacrosse team broke through to capture its first state title. This season, the Green Knights are looking to return to the top of Division II.

If the team wants to compete with D-II powers Chelsea and Burr and Burton, it will have to rely heavily on 100-goal scorer Katy Ranaldo. The senior attacker, who has 118 goals and 39 assists in her career, will be the engine that runs the Rice offense. With 157 career points, Ranaldo has her eye on 200 points.

For the coach, Ranaldo has developed into the team’s top offensive weapon through hard work and determination.

“She’s got everything,” McClintock said. “She’s got her passing game down, she’s really good at quick pickups on the ground. She worked a lot last year on shot accuracy.”

Ranaldo knows that she is the player on most team’s radar and expects double teams and extra attention. She likes to use that her advantage when she is on the field.

“I can just use that to the other team’s disadvantage, I might be taken out of the play but that other defender is taken out of the play and I can use that to my team’s advantage,” Ranaldo said. “I don’t think that will take away from the team.”

Ranaldo was also a top player for the girls soccer and hockey teams — sports that have helped her succeed in lacrosse.

“Playing all my other sports has really contributed to my lacrosse success,” Ranaldo said. “In soccer, I’m constantly running, you need to be smart with your movements. In hockey, I just go 110 percent, go as hard as I can for as long as I can, and that has translated to lacrosse.”

Another part of Ranaldo’s success, she says, has to do with her family. Her father is a former boys lacrosse coach at Rice and her brother played for the Green Knights.

“I think is started out that it was just something fun to do as a family,” Ranaldo said. “I think that’s where I really started loving it. I guess you could say it’s in my blood — really the love of the game has contributed to my success.”

McClintock has high expectations for Ranaldo and the rest of her senior squad.

“For her and the seniors, I want to them to lead us back to where we were last year,” McClintock said. “We have a great group of seniors who are very focused, very selfless. They’ll all get the job done. Our team does not let up.”

Ranaldo will sit for the first three games of the regular season with a wrist injury, but is excited to see the team season get under way.

“I’m really excited, I have all the confidence in the world in this team,” Ranaldo said. “We’re moving up, and there is a lot more to come from Rice girls lacrosse.”